Rotary with power-measuring means



Nov. 5, 1929. E. E. GREVE 1,734,482

ROTARY WITH POWER MEASURING MEANS Filed July 7, 1928 ing or unscrewing said parts.

Patented Nov. 5, 1929 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE ROTARY WITH POWER-MEASURING MEANS Application filed July 7, 1928.. Serial No. 291,116.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary drilling apparatus, and more particularly to rotary drilling apparatus having power measuring means designed to be em- 6 ployed with the rotary in the operation of making-up and breaking-out casing, drill pipe, and tool joints, whereby the joints may be uniformly made up and with a predetermined load or pressure applied in screw- As heretofore practiced, it has been impossible in making up or screwing pipe sections together in the field, to determine just the proper time to stop the rotation of the gear or the revoluble part of the rotary employed in connection with make-up tongs for screwing the sections together, conseuently the threads of thepipe sections or t e tool joints used in connection therewith are frequently injured.

The prime object of the present invention is to provide in an apparatus of the character stated, means for determining the amount of power or pressure required to be imparted to the joints for effecting the desired ti htness in making up the joints and furt er, with the assurance that a 1 joints bein made up may be screwed to ether uniform y. Other objects and a vantages of the present invention will be hereinafter specifically referred to or will be apparent from a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an application of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a rotary drilling apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2, a part elevational view and a part sectional view, the section being taken on line IIII of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3, a detail elevational view showing a load measuring or indicator device and its means of connection with a revoluble part of the rotary. Referring to the drawings, I have shown a rotary ,of the make-up and break-out type, that is to say, a rotary particularly adapted for screwing up sections of easing, drillplpe,

. nular exposed portion 21 said and tool joints, and for breaking-out or unscrewing the same. I

As illustrated, 5 designates the base of the rotary,6 a revoluble member or gear ring, and 7 a drive ring or another revoluble member. The member 6 is designed to be driven in the usual manner by a pinion 8 carried on the end of a shaft 9. It will -be understood that in this form of apparatus, when the drilling operation is going on the gear ring and the drive ring are locked together and revolved as a unit. When handling pipe however, these rings are unlocked. The drive ring including the large spider 11, is mounted concentrically of the gear ring and, as shown is provided with slips 12 designed to hold the string of pipe or casing ind1cated by the numeral 13. As illustrated, I have shown tool joints 14 employed at the res ective end sections of the pipe or casing, ut it is understood that my apparatus is designed for screwing and unscrewing casing or rill pipe without the employment of the said tool joints.

The gear ring or revoluble member 6 of the rotary is provided with two -diametrically opposed openings indicated by 15, said openings being adapted to receive a make-up post' and carnage indicated by the numeral 16. This make-up post is designed to our a make-up tong 17, which latter is employe to engage the upper section of the pipe shown or the tool joint thereof as the casemay be.

The drive ring 7 is provided with two similarly disposed openings 18 designed to receive back-up posts 19, the latter carrying at the u per end thereof a back-up tong 20 design I to engage the lower adjacent tool joint I or the adjacent pi section.

As illustrated, t e drive'ring 7 has an anportion is provided with a number of openings 22in its periphery designed to receive, in one of said openings, a plug or engaging member 23 of the power or load measuring device employed in combination with the rotary. 24 designates a flexible cable having one end attached to the member 23 and its 0 positeend attached to an anchor indicatedythe numeral 25. This flexible connector 24 is designed to engage and cooperate with a load or weight meter structure 26, and for this purpose it will be seen that the weight meter or indicator 26 is provided with lugs 27 through which the flexible connector 24 is passed. The weight indicator is of a well known form, and, as shown, the flexible connector 24 makes contact with a plunger 28 of the said meter or indicator. The indicator 26 is of the diaphragm fluid type; it will be understood that actuation of the plunger will cause fluid to pass from the indicator proper to an indicating gauge 29 through suitable piping 30. The plunger is actuated when suflicient load is exerted upon connector 24 to cause its portion a between the lugs 27 to straighten out. The power or load measuring means when in operative engagement with the drive rin of the rotary acts to retard the rotation 0 said ring and thus functions as a back-up mechanism as well as a power measuring means; these means may be difierently arranged relatively to the rotary than as shown, for instance, the meter or indicator 26 may be disposed close to the rotary or within the rotary base or parts, and a dilierent means of connecting the rotary with the plunger of the device 26 may be employed.

In the operation of making-up or screwing sections of pipe together, the gear ring with the make-up tong mounted thereon'and connected with one of the tool oints or directly to a pipe section, is revolved by the gear ring in a clockwise direction. At this time it is the intention to prevent the drive ring 7 and gear ring to tighten the joint is reflected through the back-up means and 1s registered on the indicating gauge 29 due to the straightening action of that portion of the connector in contact with the plunger 28 of the indicator 26.

It will, of course, be understood that by reversing the operations just described, I am an adjacent section of pipe, and power measuring means connected with the said second member.

3. The combination with a rotary having concentrically assembled revoluble members, of a make-up tong carried by the outer member and engaging a section of pipe, a back-up tong carried by the inner member, and power measuring means connected with the said inner member.

4. The combination with a rotary having concentrically assembled revoluble members, of a make-up tong carried by the outer member and engaging a section of pipe, a back-up tong carried by the inner member, and power measuring means connected with the said inner member, said inner member having an exposed annular portion formed with'plug receiving openings, said power measuring means connected with the inner member by a plug entered in one of the receiving openlngs.

In testimony whereof I a-fiix my signature.

' EDGAR E. GREVE.

enabled to break the joints and also am enabled to determine by the mechanism the amount of power-necessary to break joints.

What I claim is: v I 1. The combination with a rotary having a plurality of revoluble members, one of said a plurality of revoluble members, of a makeup tong carried by one of said members and engaging a section of a pipe, means carried by a second revoluble'member for engaging 

